In this week’s Five Cool Things, we’re going to take at two of Whyte’s latest bikes as well as a fresh range of pads from Troy Lee Designs. That’s not all, as we look at the valves that kicked off a whole new trend, and a slew of nutritional goodies and ride snacks.
- Fastest Known Times – everything you need to know
- Winter mountain biking – your guide to riding in the cold
- Cyclo-cross biking – everything you need to know
But before diving into the cool kit, let’s take a look at what happened throughout the week. It kicked off with a fresh gravel release from Fara with the Gr4. It’s a race-ready bike that doesn’t stray too far from gravel’s adventure roots. So it gets a few aero designs while packing all of the mounts you’ll need for big days out in the hills. Then, we’ve scoured the internet for some serious summer mountain bike savings.
Then, with gravel as a genre stretching heavily into racing while straddling the mountain bike line, we delivered our selection of the best gravel bikes to help make buying your next (or first) gravel bike simpler. Steve wrapped up the week by asking, ‘Why is mountain biking so divided?‘, as he dives into the roots of MTB to discern whether or not cycling’s biggest rifts are getting worse.
As for reviews, we checked out Halo’s latest Skelta wheelset. With a huge array of sizes available, it’s set to be one pair of wheels for a whole raft of riding disciplines, from dirt jump to downhill. Ty brought his verdict on Boardman’s £1,900 MTR 8.9, praising it for its decent trail manners, and Matt tested Time’s spendy ATAC XC 12 pedals.
Whyte Secta RS
£1,500
Whyte has made something of a name for itself over the years for creating some pretty rad, aggressive hardtails that hit a good price point, and the brand looks to have done it again with the Secta. In true Whyte style, its geometry is slack, with a 63.5-degree head tube angle, a 470mm reach (on a large), and a 443.4mm chainstay that makes the bike primed for proper winch and plummet shenanigans.
Moving on to the build, this RS model tops the range. For that £1,500, you get a RockShox Psylo Gold RC fork with 130mm of travel bolted to a 6061-T6 aluminium frame. Driving the bike is a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain paired with Shimano MT420 brakes. Inflated onto brandless wheels is a Maxxis Dissector at the front and an Ikon at the rear, both with EXO casings. Whyte then kits the bike with a generously-travelled dropper post with travels starting at 150mm on the small frame and going up to 200mm on the large and extra large.
Whyte Verro
£1,800
For a couple of years, Whyte took a bit of a gravel hiatus, but now, the brand is back with the Tourus all-road or ‘light gravel’ bike, and the Verro, the bike that we’ve got here. The brand says that it’s designed to take on ‘the most demanding terrain’. It’s built with a multi-butted 6061-T6 aluminium frame, and it’s rammed full of mounting points for cargo capacity. It’s also sorted with a dropper post, for when the going gets proper rough.
As for the spec, it uses SRAM’s Apex Eagle groupset and a pair of WTB ST i30 rims wrapped with Maxxis Ravager 700x50c tyres. The dropper post is provided by Trans-X and offers up to 110mm drop on the XL frame.
If its array of mounts doesn’t give away its adventure intention, its geometry certainly will, as there’s a 70-degree head tube angle, a 74.5-degree seat tube angle, and a large frame benefits from a 436mm reach. The chainstay then measures in at 445mm.
Troy Lee Designs Speed Pro knee and elbow guards
£80 – £90
Troy Lee Design’s Speed Pro guards are built to appease those who prioritise mobility, but still want good, comprehensive protection. With CE Level 1 certification, they utilise D30 Diabolo inserts that are said to provide a maximum transmitted force threshold of 34kN.
Those inserts live within a 260gsm Lycra sleeve that benefits from a silicone-infused upper and lower, for security. Additionally, there are TLD Air Channels built into the rear of the pads to encourage airflow.
Veloforte nutrition
From £6.87
Veloforte is a brand that’s more than just cycling-specific nutrition, as it aims to bring a full range of products to all kinds of activity sports, whether you’re running marathons, smashing reps in the gym, or taking on big distance rides. It’s not just about bringing hydration and nutrition products to your jersey pockets, as Veloforte’s website is rife with advice and guides on how to fuel properly, to keep yourself going for the long haul.
Here, we’ve got a wide selection of snacks and powders from its range. Starting with the Mixed Electrolyte Powders, they’re available in packs of three, 12, and 24, and come in three types, with Solo being just electrolytes with no added sugar. Passo is an electrolyte and carbs mix, whereas Attivo adds natural caffeine to the mix.
The gels combine 22g of fast-acting carbohydrates and 110mg of electrolytes, along with natural caffeine (in specific flavours). They’re made with natural ingredients, including fruits, maple, and pink Himalayan salt.
Wrapping up with the chews, they’re made using no wax, gelatine, gums, or fat, and each pack is said to deliver 44g of dual-source carbs. There’s also 95mg of electrolytes, and the Amaro chews get 75mg of natural caffeine.
Reserve Fillmore valves
£25
Alright, so we are a little late to the party on this one, but better late than never, right? These are Reserve’s Fillmore tubeless valves, and (alongside 76 Projects) they kicked off a revolution in valve design with a range of brands such as Muc-Off, Tru-Tension, and Stan’s quickly following suit to bring their own high-flow no clog valves to the market.
Available in 50, 70 and 90mm lengths, the Fillmore valves use a very different design to the Presta valve that we all know and love. Instead, it uses a core that runs through the entirety of the valve with a cap at both ends. Loosen the top can, and the lower opens up to allow air to flow. Reserve calls this the Micro-Adjust feature, where users can twist the top cap only a little and tap it to release pressure a bit at a time.
This design is also said to deliver three times more airflow, making for easier tubeless installation, and as the valve’s bore is clearer, sealant can flow through without clogging the valve, apparently.
- reservewheels.com
